Danvers and Dr. Strange do the mind swap plot in Captain Marvel No. 6

Captain Marvel No. 6 Image by Marvel Comics

Not Quite a Miss, but Not Quite a Hit?

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Annapola Martello is the “guest artist” this issue, filling in for Carmen Carnero for this and the next issue. On the whole, she does a great job, mixing the superhero action with a bit of horror for the zombies. It is a bit strange (pun intended) to see a modern city like Rio de  Janeiro reduced to looking like a generic jungle. It risks reminding readers of the days where any location outside of New York City was rendered in shameless stereotypical fashion. Many artists depicted London, Latin American countries, and even the American south as if they were still in the 18th or 19th centuries until recently. On the other hand, maybe it is the result of Malekith’s magic. Martello draws a great Amora, although the zombies risk feeling interchangeable.

On the whole, this issue is a bit of a mixed bag. Thompson clearly was able to use a crossover to tell her own story, rather than become lost in it. She has a clear vision for who Captain Marvel is and how she should act, and as always, writes some biting dialogue. It is easy to imagine her taking on Black Widow, in fact. On the other hand, “the mind swap plot” has been overdone overall in pop fiction, and this story hasn’t quite breathed new life into it yet. Hopefully, the finale will offer more of a magical spark so this doesn’t appear like an episodic distraction over the long haul.